Marriotts Nursery School

Covered and uncovered outdoor play, a weekly theme table and a nature area give Marriotts Nursery School a recognisable character: children can bring something from home, contribute a found leaf and carry their interests into play. This Goring-by-Sea nursery serves children from two years old to first school age and has capacity for 30 children. Its purpose-built premises put indoor activity and outdoor exploration alongside each other.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The practical offer is term-time care, with morning, afternoon and full-day sessions. A key worker, an online Learning Journal containing observations and photographs, and planned discussions with parents provide the structure around each child's learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy, maths, creative expression and understanding the world. Activities are planned around children's interests and adapted to their development. The practical distinction is the activity itself: a child can contribute an object to the morning theme table rather than simply listen to an adult introduce the subject.

Weekly themes invite contributions from home, while the nature area gives feathers and leaves a place in the nursery day. These are straightforward ways for families to connect everyday discoveries with what children are doing at nursery. Free-flow play sits alongside imaginative, physical and structured activities, giving sessions different rhythms rather than a single teaching format.

As children become ready, activities introduce recognising letters and names, mathematical games, computer skills and more detailed mark making. Readiness determines the progression. That matters for parents who want early learning to develop from their child's stage rather than a uniform starting point.

In February 2022, children joined animated story sessions, anticipated what might happen next and contributed to familiar songs. A lending library enabled families to share books at home. Practical learning also included using hammers and nails to fix buttons to wood, making coordination and tool use part of the experience.

Outdoor and Community Life

The purpose-built nursery has both sheltered and open-air play areas. Children need named clothing suitable for outdoor activity, so outdoor play is part of the preparation for a session, rather than an incidental extra. The garden and indoor accommodation are on one level, with changing facilities and an accessible toilet.

In February 2022, physical activity included morning exercise and dragon dances linked to Chinese New Year. The dances brought movement and cooperation together: children had to participate as a group as well as control their own movements. These are examples from that period, rather than a timetable of current events.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is paced to the child. A key worker is allocated when children start, with responsibility for monitoring progress and planning around individual needs. The pre-start session gives parents time to share dietary, health and developmental information before regular attendance begins. This makes the initial conversation about the child as well as the paperwork.

The online Learning Journal brings photographs, observations, assessments and progress checks together. Parents can arrange formal discussions, and two stay-and-play sessions each year provide another opportunity to talk about development. Next steps connect what a child is working towards at nursery with activities at home; termly newsletters and daily contact with staff add more routine communication.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO, key worker and management team develop Individual Education Plans with parents and relevant professionals. Plans are reviewed, with strategies changed when they are not working. Activities can be simplified or made more challenging, groups reduced, and additional staff assigned to activities needing more support. These are specific mechanisms for adapting participation, rather than a general promise about inclusion.

Support can involve speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and sensory support services. Referrals require parental permission, and families receive feedback from professionals who see their child. The accommodation's single-level layout is also a useful practical detail for families considering access needs.

Moving to primary school includes Transition Meetings, where parents, nursery staff and the receiving school share information and agree a plan. Role play, stories and photograph books help children prepare for the change. The emphasis is on making the next setting familiar and passing on information about the child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 18b Mulberry Lane, Goring By Sea, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 4JL. Opening hours are 8.45am to 2.45pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoon sessions run from 11.45am to 2.45pm. The full-day pattern runs from 8.45am to 2.45pm.

Enquiries can be made through the opening-times enquiry form, by telephone on 01903 500590 or by email at marriottsnursery@yahoo.com. Fees remain payable for absences caused by sickness or holidays, and leaving requires four weeks' written notice. Those terms matter when comparing a regular booking with a family's likely attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds, alongside paid sessions, on a term-time basis. The entitlements described include 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, working-parent funding of up to 30 hours, and 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds receiving additional government support. Eligibility conditions apply; the wider working-parent age range does not change this nursery's starting age. Tax-Free Childcare is also accepted.

For funded sessions, parents can choose either a payment towards morning snacks or a healthy food contribution to the shared fruit bowl. Milk and water are free; full-day children bring a packed lunch, while afternoon children should have eaten lunch beforehand. Parents also supply nappies when needed. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page explains the attendance terms and snack choices.

Getting There

Parking restrictions are explicit: families must not use the Rosemary Hensby Solicitors car park or park outside the Astrology Shop. Build that restriction into the journey plan rather than relying on either neighbouring business's space.

• Term-time timetable. Morning, afternoon and full-day patterns all finish within the 8.45am to 2.45pm opening window. Families needing care beyond those hours or during holidays will need a different arrangement for that part of the week.
• Conversation and independence. In February 2022, questioning sometimes moved too quickly for children to formulate answers, and some needed adult help with minor disagreements. During a visit, ask how staff now give children thinking time and help them resolve small disputes.
• Food and personal care. Full-day attendance requires a packed lunch, and nappies come from home; funded morning snacks have a payment or food-contribution choice. Discuss dietary requirements at the pre-start session so the arrangements fit your child.
• Joining with additional needs. Individual Education Plans can involve adapted activities, smaller groups and professional input. Use the pre-start discussion to explore how that process would work for your child's needs.

Marriotts suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as a full day within a term-time timetable. Its strongest practical features are the covered and uncovered outdoor areas, home contributions to themes, and a defined system for sharing progress and planning support. The February 2022 findings also leave clear questions about thinking time and managing minor disagreements. For parents whose schedule fits the opening window, the combination of play, gradual early learning and individual planning offers a concrete basis for choosing.